Her Story
by Kazle
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as the rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her. New chap! SS, PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything.  
  
Notes: This story is rather AU, because Sakura never did live in the city to begin with.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced resorted to a life on the dangerous city streets.  
  
Her Story  
  
Prologue  
  
By: Kazle  
~~*~~  
  
Kimi wa ima doko ni aruite,  
  
Nani o mitsumete'ru no?  
  
Itsu ka hanashite kureta yume,  
  
Oitsudzukete iru no?  
  
~~*~~  
  
The man was dressed in an ordinary business suit, more for comfort than for quality. Opening the door in front of him, he walked inside, turning on the light as he did. It flickered on, lighting the room with pale luminance. Sighing, he sat at his desk, running a hand through his messy auburn hair. A small green blinking light catches his eye. The answering machine says six new messages. Reluctantly, he presses the button. The first three were from business clients.  
  
The man sighed inwardly and stood up, pushing his rolling chair backwards as the messages rolled off. Walking over to the small rectangular table on the side of his office, he poured himself a mug of hot cocoa. The fifth message picked up:  
  
'Hello, Mr. Li. This is Chance Alinous. I'm calling to let you know that the editing has been completed and the book you requested is ready. You can pick it up today.'  
  
The man set down his cocoa, his mouth in a grim line. His face unreadable, he picked up his briefcase and headed out the door leaving the last message to play to deaf ears.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
The secretary raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"I'm sorry Mr. Li, but Mr. Alcinous doesn't seem to have an appointment with you on his agenda."  
  
The man opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off abruptly as Chance came bustling through to door.  
  
"Oh -- sorry Amy, I didn't schedule it," he said, briskly leading Mr. Li into his office. The secretary shrugged indifferently and blew a bubble.  
  
"Sorry about that," he said, picking up a box. His eyes scanned it quickly before handing it to the man in front of him.  
  
Syaoran Li took the box, and after thanking the man, walked swiftly back to his car and drove back to his office.  
  
"Karen. Please hold all calls for me this afternoon," he told his secretary and without providing an explanation he went back into his office, setting the box onto the desk and locking the door behind him.  
  
For a moment, he just stared at it, debating with himself whether or not to open it right now. He decided to be sensible since he had nothing else to do seeing as he had Karen holding all his calls.  
  
He began to open the musty looking package, and once it was, he dug into the styrofoam balls, and his heart stopped when he found what he was looking for.  
  
He drew out the small book. On the cover was a black and white picture of a girl, her back turned, staring out into the ocean from a cliff as her short hair whipped around carelessly in the wind. Above the picture, was the title, 'Her Story' and below that in smaller font was 'A Diary'.  
  
Syaoran looked at the picture for a moment, and slowly opened the book.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Where are you walking,  
  
What are you staring at now?  
  
Are you still chasing that dream,  
  
You once told me about?  
  
~~*~~  
A/N: Next chapter coming soon, titled 'The Girl', and credit for the song goes to Hamasaki Ayumi, the song called 'Still Alone'. And the tenses might seem a little confusing in the prologue, but it won't happen in the future chapters. Please review!  
  
And Question!! If you know how to do italics, bold letterings, underlining, and centering, could you please tell me how? Thanks! ^_^ 


	2. The Girl

Disclaimer: Don't own anything from CCS, though I can still wish I did..  
  
A/N: Wow, I had always heard that reviews could inspire a person to keep on writing, and so as I read them, it definitely affected me in a way that made me want to keep posting. Thanks!^_^  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets. There, she must adapt if she wants to survive.  
Her Story  
  
Chapter One  
  
The Girl  
  
By: Kazle  
~~*~~  
  
Ibasho ga nakatta mitsukaranakatta  
  
Mirai ni wa kitai dekiru no ka wakarazu ni  
  
Itsu mo tsuyoi ko da ne tte iware tsudsukete'ta  
  
Nakanaide erai ne tte homeraretari shite ita yo  
  
Sonna kotoba hitotsu mo nozonde'nakatta  
  
Dakara wakaranai furi wo shite ita  
  
~~*~~  
It was dark. Cold. Raining. The girl in question clutched the inside hems of her coat, bringing it closer to her body. But still the rain pattered on, relentlessly soaking her through and through. She shivered, her muscles ached. She longed for warmth, but it would not come. She eyed her surroundings; though her sight was slightly obscured as the rain ran into her eyes blinded her. Bringing her sleeve up, she wiped her eyes and ran her hand through her dripping hair. She looked into the alley on her right. Three dark figures huddled around a small fire, set in a trashcan. Shaking her head, she hurried passed. The taste in her mouth had suddenly become sour.  
  
She walked on, the rain and wind lashing at her small form. She paused as she came by a small park. Trees stood, symmetrical to one another in each and every way. It was the city's attempt to make it not seem as disgusting as it really was. Sounds retarded, but it worked. Pollute the air with your tall buildings, then plant some trees, and slap a sign that says 'I care' on yourself. Unless you've actually lived in the darkest parts of this place, you think that the city is just a busy, wealthy place for politicians. But it's also dangerous.  
  
Brushing her lingering thoughts aside, she continued until she reached the familiar building. She stood outside the door for a second, contemplating. People hurried passed her, knocking her slightly off balance. Setting her jaw in a grim line she put her hand on the door handle and swung it open. The touch of metal to her skin felt unusually cold. Walking in, she surveyed the area until she found a suitable corner. Sitting down, she rested her head against the hard wall and glanced across the large room. People crowded in the room. It wasn't too noisy. Then again, it never really was. It was a place where the only thing you could do was think, and slowly you began to drown in your own thoughts.  
  
She smirked quietly to herself. So, she thought, You've really sunk low this time. Imagine, last year you were the daughter of a wealthy politician, decked out with a house that was furnished quite nicely with everything a girl like you could want. And then, just as it had begun, it came apart all in a day's worth. An unfortunate plane crash had destroyed everything.  
  
She had lost everything, everything that mattered.  
  
The girl felt something forming behind her eyes and that annoying itch that always comes on your nose. She pushed it back, along with everything else and rested her head on the cold wall. She wouldn't think about it, she wouldn't let her emotions or anything else control her. As much as it killed inside, she would not allow it to show outside. For all her thirteen years she had depended on others for support, but now she would have to depend on herself. She would be strong.  
  
~~*~~  
  
I had no place to live. I couldn't find one.  
  
I don't know if I could have any hope for the future.  
  
They always said I was a strong child.  
  
They praised me, saying "You must be strong not to cry."  
  
I didn't want those words at all.  
  
So I pretended not to understand.  
  
~~*~~  
A/N: All right, this might seem a bit extreme, but remember, Sakura has a very bitter viewpoint on everything right now. Just to let you know, the city's name will be revealed soon and since I don't want to cause anything controversial, I'll make the name up. The song is called, A Song for XX and I don't take credit for it. The third chapter will be up as soon as I finish it, and it's surprisingly entitled, 'The Boy'. And please review!! ^____^ 


	3. The Boy

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
A/N: Ok, just to clear things up, the last chapter and forward are in the past, even though I'm not using past tense. Don't worry, I'll make it all make sense later, muahahaha.. I have a LOT of ideas for this story.. oh and a longer chapter! ^_^ Hope you like it..  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Two The Boy  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Akai ito nante shinjite'nakatta,  
  
Unmei wa tsukamu mono da to omotta  
  
Hayasugiru sokudo de torimaku  
  
Sekai ni wa itsu shika tsukarete  
  
~~*~~  
  
If fourteen year old Syaoran Li hated anything at that moment, it would have to be alarm clocks. Or maybe it was just mornings in general that irked him. In any case, he had to get up, and on a Monday morning, that seemed to be the problem. Especially after spending all last night at a party at one of his best friend's houses. A mass of kids, most of whom Syaoran had recognized as being from his school had attended it and it had been crazy. The set up had been very nice of course, and servants had even been walking around offering fancy glasses of what was initially thought of as wine, but turned out to be cider. This had been a put down for many, but it didn't stop the guys from draining the small glasses like a shot trying to vainly impress the girls.  
  
Syaoran stood up groggily, steadying himself on his bedpost. Glancing in the mirror, he frowned at his disheveled image, and more specifically at his messy auburn hair. In a futile effort, he flattened his hair with the palms of his two hands for a few seconds. As soon as he removed them however, the locks popped right back up and in a growl of frustration he grabbed the black comb and the bottle of hair gel sitting on his desk. As he smoothed and combed, his thoughts drifted back to the party.  
  
After a while, despite the pretty setup, people had begun to get bored. Which resulted in a few interesting occurrences. People challenged each other to small competitions while onlookers bet on the outcomes with real money. Being 'popular', Syaoran had participated in a few of these, one of which was a fight of skill. He had beaten his opponent easily, seeing as he had prior experience in his martial arts training that had started at age five.  
  
As he had finished the match, he had noticed that there had seemed to be a commotion in the large dining room. Apparently some kids had snuck in alcohol, and being so careless, the police had somehow been notified. All of a sudden, some idiot had yelled,  
  
"The cops are coming!" And the obvious reaction to this was an immediate scramble to the various windows and doors of the household. Was this a good time to tell you that there was no parental supervision involved at the party?  
  
It had taken a while, but everyone had eventually been calmed down. A knock was heard at the door, and Syaoran answered it swiftly. Sure enough, a policeman was standing at the door. Syaoran's status as the son of the well known Officer Li and Eriol's smooth talking, had soon distinguished the aroused suspicion.  
  
His cell phone suddenly started to ring, snapping his out of his thoughts, and Syaoran answered it by calmly flipping it open.  
  
"Yo Syaoran?" Syaoran sweatdropped.  
  
"Hey Eriol.." he replied, checking his appearance in the mirror with satisfaction.  
  
"Just wanted to let you know.. Rachel is having a party in two weeks."  
  
"I know that.." Syaoran muttered.  
  
"Man, this could be your big chance!" Eriol exclaimed, frustrated by his friend's easy dismissal. Syaoran straightened his tie in the mirror with a cool expression.  
  
When the line was silent, Eriol sighed with impatience.  
  
"Well, see you at school I suppose. And don't forget what I said." He reminded him before hanging up.  
  
Syaoran closed his cell phone with a small 'snap', and looked at it for moment before slipping it into his pocket.  
  
"I know.."  
  
He left his room, turning off the light as he exited and went down the polished stairs with a half-hearted sigh. Rachel was a girl at his school, who he had liked for a while now. She had never shown much interest in him, but Eriol had assured him that it was only a matter of time and it depended on how he played his cards. His father was also encouraging of Syaoran with Rachel, but the auburn haired boy wasn't sure if that was just because her father happened to be the mayor of Metropolis.  
  
After he had a quick bite to eat, he left the house and began to walk to school. Hernings Private School was only three blocks going west and Syaoran enjoyed the walk. It helped awaken his senses and get a little exercise. Especially in the early autumn when the weather was warm and a breeze shuffled in from the harbor. It was also the time of year when the cherry blossoms in the park bloomed. A few pick petals lay on the concrete path he was walking on.  
  
He checked his watch and mentally cursed when he realized he was a little late. Speeding up a bit, he was caught by surprise when a rather strong breeze blew up, sending the cherry blossoms swirling around in the air. He blocked his eyes and abruptly crashed into someone, knocking shoulders roughly.  
  
"Oh - sorry," he said immediately and then trailed off as the person just continued on as if nothing had happened. He was certain it was a girl and she seemed to be around his age. She had short auburn hair that blew around in the wind and her gaze was dutifully trained to the ground. She wore dark blue jeans, and a black overcoat made of a sweater material that stopped at her knees, with a hood.  
  
Syaoran was struck with a sudden sense of déjà vu, and he shook himself to rid the feeling. For a moment he just stood there, watching her walk away. That is, until he realized.  
  
'Ahhhhhhhh! I'm going to be late!!!' He mentally cursed himself as he sprinted the rest of the way to school.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Syaoran clicked the top of his pen in complete and utter boredom as his teacher droned on and on about..well he wasn't quite sure, but he was sure that it was probably something he would never need to know later in life as much as his teachers argued otherwise. He had barely made it to school on time after he had snapped out of his reverie.  
  
Which reminded him..that girl. He couldn't figure out how he lost his composure so quickly. There wasn't anything too striking about her, heck, he hadn't even spoken a word to her. But, she had a familiar aura around her. It was almost as if he felt he had met her once before..a long time ago.  
  
"Psst, Syaoran!" Someone whispered from his left and he felt a folded piece of paper poking his elbow. He glanced at the teacher who by now was in his own world and took the paper.  
  
'Hey Syaoran,  
  
What's up with you? Are you going to wait forever to make your move? Haha, you should have seen your expression a moment back. You were really out of it, which isn't much like you. Anyway, are you staying after today for soccer practice?'  
  
Syaoran knew Eriol was talking about Rachel, but he still couldn't bring himself to approach her. He clicked his pen and scribbled a note back.  
  
'No, not yet. I'm going to wait until the party to ask her. And yeah, soccer practice, I'll be there.'  
  
Syaoran clicked the top of his pen up and down absently, his thoughts turning back to Rachel. He risked a glance in her direction and saw that the blond girl was passing notes back and forth with one of her friends and they were trying to muffle giggles. Rachel was on the cheerleading squad for their school and was very popular. What was there not to like?  
  
"Syaoran, if you click that pen one more time I'll be forced to shove it down your throat," growled Eriol with a very irritated expression.  
  
Syaoran grinned in spite of himself.  
  
~~*~~  
  
I've never believed in the red thread,  
  
I thought fate was something to grab.  
  
At an incredible speed it winds around.  
  
I've become tired of this world.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: Wai! Longest chapter so far, though I know it's not much compared to other people's. The song was called 'Trust'. And thanks to the people who reviewed! ^___^ Haven't figured out a title for the next chapter. And don't worry about Syaoran's character right now, I had to establish it here so I could show the changes he goes through later. Yeah, he's a spoiled rich kid right now.. Other characters will make their appearance soon too.  
  
Questions! Does anyone know how to spell Eriol's last name? And does anyone have any ideas for the name of a gang? I already have one, but I need another. Suggestions welcome, and I'll give you credit if I use it. Oh and don't forget to review!! ^__^ 


	4. A Chance

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: Moshimoshi! I'm back, and since you said you wanted longer chapters, I'm extending the one after this one ^_^ But since they're longer, they might take longer to post. And sometimes, I have to post shorter chapters, cuz they don't sound right to me otherwise.  
  
And to the readers: ARIGATOU~~~!! You guys are the best! ^_^ Hope you guys like this chapter..  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Three  
  
A Chance  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Genjitsu wa uragiru mono de handansae  
  
Ayamaru kara ne soko ni aru kachi wa  
  
Sono me de chanto mikiwamete ite ne  
  
Jibun no monosashi de  
  
~~*~~  
  
The bright emerald eyed girl woke up with a start, glancing around at her surroundings with blurry vision. What time was it? She blinked for a second, wondering why her back felt so stiff and then abruptly remembered her situation. Her eyes clouded over for a second and she checked her watch absently. 7:30? She hadn't realized that it was so early.  
  
She took her backpack out from under her, unzipped it, shuffling around the contents. She had a few pairs of jeans, a couple shirts, a sweatshirt, and for some odd reason, a scarf and mittens. A few random items that she had packed last minute in her blind rush were in there too. They included her small purse, a toothbrush, some pens and pencils, and a diary. She frowned for a moment at the little book before placing it back in the bag.  
  
Most of the people in the building had already left and Sakura had never felt so out of place in her entire life. She stood up, swinging her bag up with her, and looked rather timidly at the table on the other side of the room. Walking over, she was greeted by a smile from one of the girls serving the soup. It was a pitying sort of smile and the last thing Sakura wanted right now was pity. Adverting her eyes slightly, she took the bowl and quietly made her way over to a table. Sipping the hot broth, she contemplated her next move.  
  
Sakura knew that she had to find work, but she had no idea where to start looking. She hoped was that there would be someone willing to hire her, but all the same she felt something gnawing in the pit of her stomach. Finishing her soup, she left the shelter, hurrying eastward down the street. The morning was warm and the breeze relaxed her body slightly. But it was unable to stop the tornado of thoughts and misgivings that whirled in her mind.  
  
As she paced down the sidewalk, Sakura suddenly felt like a stranger in her own city. And she didn't know quite why. Nothing had changed. People still shuffled past her on their daily routines. Stray cats still could be seen crouching in alleyways. Cars and buses still rumbled past her. And all the sounds of the city were the same. And then she realized.. that it wasn't the city that had changed, it was her. She felt so foreign in this city, so out of place. Sakura shifted her gaze to the ground, completely avoiding any eye contact.  
  
Caught up in her inner turmoil, she failed to see the approaching person and she collided with him, knocking against his shoulder. At least, she was pretty sure it had been a 'he'. She stumbled a little, slightly knocked off balance but still determined not to make any eye contact. She heard him apologize quickly, but she just kept walking, feeling her cheeks burn up and feeling bad that she had left him in the dust. But she just wasn't ready to confront anyone just yet..  
  
'So how are you going to get a job if you can't even talk to a person?' a small voice sneered at her from the back of her mind.  
  
'I'll figure out something..' she stopped for a second and told herself to shut up.  
  
Sakura walked down the street, finally beginning to relax as her muscles loosened up. She glanced at the stores as she passed them, wondering which one she should opt for. A flower shop? Nah.. Supermarket? Not enough money.. Video store rentals? Nah.. Ice Cream Shoppe? Hmm.. maybe. She walked down almost three blocks, about to consider giving up, when she saw one that caught her eye.  
  
It was a small modest little place, a convenience store. A small red sign was taped to the door. 'Help Wanted'. Sakura nervously set her small hand on the door handle and pushed the door open. The bells above the door ringed pleasantly, marking her entry. She walked in, but saw no one.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, did you find that new shipment yet?" A voice called, but Sakura did not see the source of it.  
  
"Not yet, but I think it's in the back, " Another one replied, younger than the first.  
  
A great deal of shuffling was heard and Sakura curiously stepped towards the noise. She was caught mildly by surprise when a girl about her age stumbled in unexpectedly from her left with a big cardboard box.  
  
"I found it!" the girl called, nearly dropping the package.  
  
On impulse, Sakura reached out to help, catching part of the box and helping the girl steady it. Her eyes widened at its weight. They slowly made their way over to the right wall, the girl guiding the way. It was set down with a small 'thump'.  
  
"Whew!" the girl wiped her forehead and then immediately turned to Sakura and grinned brightly at her. She had bright blue eyes and slightly wavy black hair that went down passed her shoulders and halfway down her back. "Thanks," she held out her hand. "My name's Tomoyo Daidouji. What's yours?"  
  
Sakura found herself smiling back without realizing it. She took the offered hand without hesitation.  
  
"Sakura Kinomoto," she replied and before she could say anything else, the girl continued.  
  
"I presume you're here to apply for the job?" she asked, her smile never fading and Sakura nodded, wondering how she knew. Tomoyo positively beamed.  
  
"Oka-san!" she called, "I've found someone who is interested in the opening!"  
  
A woman with short flaming red hair stepped out from behind a rack. She smiled when she saw Sakura.  
  
"Hello," Sakura bowed respectively. "My name's Sakura Kinomoto."  
  
"Sonomi Daidouji," she said, looking Sakura up and down. The auburn haired girl shifted slightly under her piercing gaze. She glanced up after a few seconds and found the woman smiling at her. Sonomi gestured towards the pile of boxes. "If you would like to, you can start now by helping us unpack these cases."  
  
For a second, Sakura stood there, dumbstruck.  
  
"You mean, I..," she sputtered. No interview? No..nothing?  
  
Sonomi silenced her with a dismissive hand.  
  
"Let's just say, I can tell a hard worker when I see one," she winked.  
  
Sakura blinked, and Tomoyo patted her shoulder.  
  
"Welcome to the Daidouji Convenience Store."  
  
~~*~~  
  
Reality is a traitor; it's easy  
  
To misjudge things. So with your own to eyes  
  
Please decide the worth of this place.  
  
Do it with your own standards.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: Wai! Another chapter done! Sakura got a job^_^ She'll be meeting our Syaoran-kun very soon and other peoples will be introduced.  
  
IMPORTANT: I really need a name for a gang, so if you have any suggestions at all, please don't hesitate to let me know in a review. Remember, I'll give you credit for the name ^_^  
  
Next chapter is called, 'Shadows' If I don't come up with a better name, that is ^^;;  
  
AND PLEASE REVIEW!!! Everyone likes reviews.. ^____^ And they'll inspire me to get the next chapter up faster. ::hint hint:: 


	5. Unseen

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: lol, anime girl, ^.^ I was going to use 'shadow' as part of the name for one already.. But I used Japanese to make two names and translations will be at the bottom.. More information about Metropolis will come soon. Oh and I got the name Metropolis from the Japanese animation movie Metropolis, which I didn't really like, no offense to anyone who did. I'll try to update more and make longer chapters ^_^ and so here's chapter four, Unseen.  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Unseen  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Konna toki ni umaretsuita yo.  
  
Da kedo nan to ka susundet'te  
  
Da kara nan to ka koko ni tatte  
  
Bokura wa kyou o okutte'ru  
  
~~*~~  
  
Sakura blanched quite visibly when Tomoyo was finished explaining how to work the cash register. Who ever knew that it would be this complicated? 'Hoe..' she breathed to herself in her mind. Tomoyo surveyed her reaction with something akin to amusement.  
  
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan," she grinned and slapped the overwhelmed girl good-naturedly on the back nearly causing her to fall over, "I'll be right here to guide you through it today."  
  
"Hah.." Sakura still looked a little nervous and she eyed the contraption with a rather disdainful look.  
  
Tomoyo laughed at her expression and then ducked under the counter. Sakura looked at her curiously and Tomoyo emerged with a small cardboard box. She set it on the counter and shuffled through the contents for a moment before taking out a black stereo. She grinned at Sakura and turned it on.  
  
"I'd die of boredom without my radio," she said seriously.  
  
"Do you like to sing?" Sakura asked, interested.  
  
Tomoyo's expression suddenly turned wistful and she leaned over the tabletop, settling her elbows on the hard wood, her chin in her upturned palms.  
  
"Yes I do.. but..," She sighed, her gaze turning to Sakura. The auburn haired girl stopped her by waving her hands in front of her concerned emerald eyes in protest.  
  
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.." she said. Tomoyo caught her wrists in mid-swing and looked at Sakura with a solemn look.  
  
"It would probably come up sooner or later, " she shrugged and dropped her wrists, "I've always loved singing, ever since I was little," she smiled a bit as she remembered, "That and fashion.. I want to go to the School of Arts when I get older, you know, for college.. but they never grant scholarships. And we don't have enough money to pay for something like that.." she trailed off.  
  
"Don't worry Tomoyo-chan, " Sakura said reassuringly. "I'm sure you'll find some way to get in and follow your dream."  
  
"My dream.. " Tomoyo echoed. Then her gloomy expression suddenly faded and she grinned outright when a familiar chiming caught her ear.  
  
"Oh, look Sakura, there's your first customer!" she flicked her gaze from the person and to the girl next to her. Then she turned on the radio and casually glanced at Sakura.  
  
"And he's pretty hot too.." she observed.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura hissed, blushing hotly.  
  
The boy she had been referring to sauntered over with a rather smug look. He was dressed in a uniform that Sakura recognized immediately from being from the Herning's Private School, a school about eight blocks away from hers. His sunglasses were tinted black, but his most striking feature by far was his azure hair. He nodded to Tomoyo as if to acknowledge her presence and turned to Sakura, placing a can of peanut butter in front of her.  
  
"The real grocery store didn't have any, so I suppose I'll have to settle with this, " He said, emphasizing the word 'real' and shrugging his shoulders.  
  
Sakura raised her eyebrows, irritated with his tone of voice. She shot a look at Tomoyo who was also regarding him with mild disgust. 'Well *excuse* me, almighty one,' she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.  
  
She took the money he had set on the table and punched it in. She looked up to give him the change but he was already halfway out the door, calling back with a smirk.  
  
"Keep the change, it's the *least* I could do, " He said and left. He didn't even trip on the doorstep or anything. Where was the justice in that?  
  
"What an unbelievable jerk, " she muttered to herself.  
  
She turned, and as she expected, Tomoyo was fuming at the door that he had just walked out of.  
  
"Why that little.." Sakura heard her mutter.  
  
The dark haired girl was obviously peeved, but was doing her best to keep control of her temper. With a frustrated growl she took out a roll of price tags and began to slam them onto the cereal boxes. When her mother passed, she gave Tomoyo a curious look, but it soon turned to understanding. A few minutes later Tomoyo's anger had been sufficiently taken out on the boxes and her glare disappeared for the most part.  
  
"If he bothers you so much why don't you do something about it?" She asked, when she was sure that the girl had calmed down enough. By the look Sonomi had given Tomoyo, it seemed as though this had happened before.  
  
"Because I can't.." she said.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because.." she glanced at Sakura and then looked away for a second. "It's complicated.. Basically, he's rich and I'm not, giving him more power to do as he pleases. If he told his father, who is probably just like him, he could have us closed down. Permanently."  
  
"That isn't fair at all." Sakura said, frowning.  
  
"Well, life isn't fair." Tomoyo waved her hand.  
  
"You're right, it isn't, " Sakura agreed quietly and then more loudly, "Well, at least we know that looks are definitely not everything.."  
  
Tomoyo looked thoughtful for a moment.  
  
"Maybe.."  
  
************  
  
The figure was dressed in black, with matching sunglasses though light only dimly lit the streets. She crouched in the shadows of a dark alley, pleased with the fact the one that no one seemed to notice her. That was the way of a member of Kuno-neko. To be there, but to remain unseen. It was a trait that was highly valued in her.. group.  
  
She watched the people who walked by and then saw the one she was looking for. Slipping out of the alley, she casually followed, smirking, as the young one seemed completely unaware of her presence.  
  
The girl she was following carried a backpack and looked like she was genuinely uninterested in where she was going. This slightly proved her suspicions, but she was still unsure..  
  
Suddenly the auburn haired paused for a second, glancing around and frowning. The one who pursued her instantly moved towards the shops that lined the streets, her breath caught in her throat. She watched as the girl shook her head and continued on. Detaching herself from the brick wall, the dark figure smiled, turning around to walk the other way. She was soon lost within the crowd, slinking through the streets and shadows with ease, to inform the others.  
  
There was a new girl on the streets.  
  
~~*~~  
  
We've arrived in these times.  
  
But somehow things move on  
  
So somehow we're standing here  
  
And we're living through today.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: Hmm.. I don't really like the beginning of this chapter.. blehhh, oh well, maybe I'll change it later. So anyway, the fourth chappy's done, yatta! The 5th and 6th chapters are almost done, just need a little more.  
  
Translation: Ok, the name introduced was 'Kuno-neko' which can be translated. Kuno means 'dark' or 'shadow or 'black', but I translate it to shadow. Neko means cat. So, the name means 'Shadow Cats'. The other name will be introduced later.  
  
And don't forget to review!! ^________^ 


	6. Meetings

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: anime girl, did you see the one that came out in the US? The one I saw was in Japanese with English subtitles, but they changed the music in it at the end I thought. Oh, and I was going to add a character into this story called Takashi, and I just found out that this was already a character in CCS. lol, I guess I'm so used to him being called Yamazaki-kun that I didn't realize. If you've ever seen the special when Yamazaki finally opens his eyes, you'll know what he looks like. I don't exactly remember, but I think that his eyes were really dark brown, is that right for anyone who has seen it? He'll turn up soon. ^_^ Ok, sorry for the delay with this chapter, hope you guys like it, Chapter Five, Meetings..  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Meetings  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Michi ni mayotta toki soshite  
  
Michi ga toosugita toki ni  
  
Hitori tsubuyaite ita yo  
  
Sonna mono da to..  
  
~~*~~  
  
After leaving and waving goodbye to Tomoyo, Sakura headed back down the sidewalk. The sky was dim, the sun casting its last rays over the city. A calm feeling passed over the auburn haired girl, for the first time in a while. She tilted her head upward and watched as the scarlet and yellow hues melted into one another. It was amazing that something so beautiful could grace the skies of Metropolis. A city so bent on power and technology.. always trying to become the latest in everything.  
  
This tranquility was soon interrupted, to her annoyance, by a loud growl. She realized that she hadn't eaten since morning. She frowned for a moment, but it was not directed towards her nagging stomach. A weird feeling had passed over her, like.. someone was following her? She paused and glanced around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Sakura shook her head, dismissing it as her imagination. Being paranoid was not something she wanted to add to her list of problems.  
  
Continuing on, she quickened her pace. Darkness was falling fast. In her rush, she was caught abruptly by surprise when a rough hand shot out of the darkness and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into a shadowed alley. She was forcibly slammed into the brick wall, her breath knocked out.  
  
"What the -" she was cut off when a hand covered her mouth.  
  
Risking a glance at her captor, she found that the person was dressed in black drab and that it was a male. He wrestled her backpack off of her and began to unzip it. She wrinkled her nose as the smell of alcohol wafted towards her. She struggled a bit, but froze when something cold and metallic was pressed against her neck.  
  
"I wouldn't try it missy.." His speech was slurred and husky. "Don't do anything and ya won't get hurt or nothin'.." He began to shuffle through its contents, keeping the knife in place right under her chin with his left hand. He was a little off-centered and pushed the offending thing harder than she thought was necessary.  
  
Sakura knew he was in no condition to talk about this rationally. That wasn't what she had in mind anyway..  
  
As he looked through the pack, Sakura noticed his mistake and immediately took advantage of it. She kicked him hard in the shin and the knife wavered for a second as he cursed in pain. That had been exactly what she had been waiting for. She knocked the weapon from his hand with ease and pushed him off of her. But he wasn't down for long. With a growl, he launched back at her, catching her neck in a vice-like grip before she could move away.  
  
"That wasn't a very smart move, girl, " He hissed, tightening his grip.  
  
~~  
  
Syaoran sighed as he left soccer practice and walked down the almost deserted street. The coach had kept the entire team after for an extra hour working on his new plays. Eriol had automatically complained, of course. The team had been working on the plays as Eriol suffered through three rounds of suicides, back and forth across the field.  
  
Syaoran shifted the weight of his soccer bag and sighed when he remembered how much homework he still had to do.  
  
He rounded a corner, passing by a darkened alleyway when he heard a stream of muffled curses and a threatening voice hissing something in a low tone.  
  
"That wasn't a very smart move, girl."  
  
Dropping his bag, Syaoran ducked into the alley and immediately took in the situation. A figure was holding a girl against the wall, choking her. He flicked his sharp eyes to the disregarded and open backpack on the ground.  
  
"Get away from her, " He said, his voice cold, with a tone of warning.  
  
The figure paused for a moment, obviously taken by surprise. Syaoran smirked. The man snorted when he saw Syaoran.  
  
"Hah. 'S'only a kid, " He grinned, obviously drunk, exposing his crooked teeth. "I warn you, I wouldn't get involved in matters that don't concern you -"  
  
He was cut off as Syaoran took the initiative and slammed his fist into the man's stomach. He immediately released his hold on the girl, and wheezed as the breath was knocked out of him. Syaoran stood in a fighting stance, eyes narrowed, silently daring him to fight back.  
  
The man looked taken aback for a moment but the expression quickly shifted back to a smirk.  
  
"You'll regret this boy, " He growled, before sprinting away.  
  
Syaoran lowered his fists and the fierce spark in his eyes vanished. Then he turned to the girl, who he had expected to be slumped against the wall, was standing up straight. He was surprised when she turned and scowled at him.  
  
"Syaoran Li," He introduced himself anyway. "Are you okay? What's your name?"  
  
"You didn't have to butt in like that, " The girl said, with a trace of annoyance in her voice. Ignoring his outstretched hand, she began to gather up her belongings.  
  
"You're welcome," he said dryly. What was wrong with this girl?  
  
He bent down to help her, and picked up a small book, whose title he couldn't quite make out in the dark. She plucked the book from his offered hand and shoved it back in her bag. Then she turned as if to leave, when he caught hold of her arm.  
  
"What?" she looked back and this time the irritation was clear on her face.  
  
"Are you even going to thank me for saving you back there?" he asked in a rather arrogant tone that made Sakura want to slap him. Just who does he think he is anyway? she fumed silently.  
  
"I didn't ask you to do anything," She ground out and moved out of his grasp.  
  
"There's gratitude for you.." Syaoran remarked dryly. And then, "If I hadn't helped you, you would have been robbed clean by that guy. Did you *want* that to happen?" his tone was incredulous.  
  
"Look, " Sakura said icily, getting fed up. "I didn't need any help, especially from you. I had that situation completely under control."  
  
Syaoran just snorted haughtily.  
  
"Sure you did."  
  
Sakura bit back a few words that would have even shocked her brother, had he heard them. She had no idea why this boy was provoking her so much. Frustrated at how swiftly her anger had gotten ahead of herself, she just turned and walked away.  
  
Syaoran stared after her. He had been caught off guard completely. She was about to say something, and he had been wondering if she was about to admit that he had indeed rescued her. But then she had faltered and he swore that he saw a sort of distant look in her eyes for a second before they had become empty and void of any emotion. Only after she was gone and Syaoran had picked up his bag did he realize that she had not told him her name.  
  
~~*~~  
  
When I stray from the path, and  
  
When the path is too long,  
  
I was muttering to myself.  
  
That's the way life is..  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: Wheee, they met! ^_^ Well, it wasn't the best first impression ever, but still.. And we'll get Syaoran's attitude sorted out before long. More background info on Metropolis and more info about Sakura's family will come soon.. The next chapter is called 'Blurred' and will be up soon ^_^  
  
And please review!!!!! ^____^ 


	7. Blurred

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: Weehoo! Another chapter^_^ I have a lot of ideas for this story, so it'll probably be long.. or maybe that's just my short chapters^^;; gomen ne. They will get longer once I get farther into the story. Thanks to all those who take the time to review my story^^ arigatou~~ And I saw the Jap. Metropolis w/ Eng. Subtitles in Boston :-) Oh and my dad's buying me the 'Spirited Away' DVD! Wai wai! For any of you who haven't seen it, it's an awesome movie and you should see it! I'd see the Japanese version though, b/c it's the original and is better :p Ok.. better stop there before I start ranting about dubs.. (Well, since it was released in theaters, the dub for Spirited Away is pretty good I heard) And here's Chapter Six: Blurred..  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Blurred  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Chanto kiite'te tsutawaru made sakebitsudzukete miru kara:  
  
Watashi wa zutto koko ni koko ni koko ni iru no.  
  
Toki ni owarete nakaba muriyari na  
  
Hibi no saki ni wa nani ga arimasu ka?  
  
~~*~~  
  
The shadowed figure paced back forth in the dim room racking his mind for ideas. This wasn't supposed to happen. Why hadn't he been informed of this earlier? He paused for a moment and looked out the glass window that oversaw the city. People milled about far below him, going about their everyday business without a care in the world. They had no idea..  
  
"Sir?" a voice said from behind him. If the man was surprised, he didn't show it.  
  
"Do you have the documents?" he said simply, without turning around.  
  
"Yes. Everything is in there."  
  
"Good. You can leave the papers with me."  
  
The figure took that as his dismissal and after a small sound of shuffling and, the presence was gone. The man checked his watch and counted down the seconds. A knocking was heard on the door.  
  
"Come in."  
  
A 'fwpp!' sound was heard. The figure smiled at this.  
  
"You always are inclined to make an entrance, are you not," he remarked. Then his tone became serious.  
  
"How does the mission go?"  
  
"It goes well, Sir.." The new figure bowed formally behind him and hesitated a little.  
  
The man sensed his wavering pause.  
  
"So have you found the carrier as of yet?"  
  
"No, Sir, we have not, " He paused and went on, "We did know that the last carrier died of cancer a decade ago, but thus, none of the scans we have performed have detected the next one. The woman that was the last carrier did have a child, but it was a male and as you know it only passes down through females. It also adds to the fact that -"  
  
"Silence," the man ground out. "All of this I am already aware of."  
  
The figure fell silent. Massaging his temples, the man turned away.  
  
"Continue with the mission. You may leave now"  
  
The presence disappeared, this time without a sound accompanying it.  
  
The man turned and looked out the window once more. Down at the nicely clad business woman who strode into a building. Down at the small child kicking a soccer ball down the sidewalk and laughing with his friends. Down at old man looking on the scene with amusement. He looked down and saw them all, and noted with satisfaction that they could not see him. He was thirteen stories up.  
  
They had no idea.. and perhaps that was a good thing.  
  
~*~  
  
Syaoran hurried down the street, though he was not late for school. He wanted to get there early, because Eriol had found out that Rachel had cheerleading practice early this morning.  
  
"How would you know about something like this?" Syaoran had asked.  
  
Eriol had shrugged and said arrogantly.  
  
"I have *connections*."  
  
Syaoran had rolled his eyes at this.  
  
"Yeah, whatever."  
  
Syaoran shook his head at the memory. Eriol was a very secretive person despite his overall demeanor in the presence of others. And he wasn't completely open to Syaoran either, even when they had been best friends since they were little. A small knowing smile was commonly found on his face and it annoyed Syaoran to no end.  
  
He slowed down to a walk, but then sped up again when he saw a familiar person ahead of him. 'Hey, it's that girl from yesterday' he thought to himself.  
  
"Hey, wait up!" he called and saw the girl visibly stiffened at the sound of his voice.  
  
She slowed down a little and Syaoran easily caught up to her.  
  
"Hey, you don't need to thank me for last night. Wasn't a big deal, I'm always taking out guys like him."  
  
Was he always this conceited? Sakura thought to herself irritably. He looked sideways at her, but she stared straight ahead.  
  
"I don't think you heard me yesterday. The name's Syaoran." Didn't he have some one else to bother? She thought crossly.  
  
"Funny," she retorted, wondering why she was being so bitter, "I don't remember asking for it."  
  
He sighed with a frown.  
  
"Why do you have to be so sour all the time?"  
  
"Why do you have to ask so many questions?"  
  
"Because I want to know."  
  
"Just because you want something, it doesn't mean you're always going to get it." She snapped.  
  
That caught Syaoran off guard and they were both silent for a while.  
  
"You don't go to my school, " Syaoran finally said, "But I think I've seen you before. Do you go to the one a few blocks from mine, Herning's Private School for Girls?"  
  
Sakura hesitated for a moment. He didn't know she lived on the streets. How was she supposed to say something like that? Uh, yeah, I don't go to school anymore because I'm homeless.  
  
She must have paused for too long because he looked down at her questioningly.  
  
"I used to.. but uh, I'm home schooled now," she said and then mentally kicked herself. Well, that sounded convincing. Why did I have to say that, he'll never believe that..  
  
"Oh," he said, and dropped it. Sakura stared at him in disbelief. They passed by the cherry blossom park and a breeze picked up, sending a few spiraling in the air.  
  
Syaoran frowned at himself as they walked. Why was he trying so hard to talk to this girl, who obviously didn't want his company? He didn't understand it. Last night, instinct had told him to protect her, but he was still drawn to her. He felt comfortable around her, as though she was a familiar presence to him. But that didn't make much sense, seeing as though he had never met this girl in his entire life.  
  
Sakura was confused. Why did this guy, Syaoran insist on following her of all people? He was just some snobbish and obviously spoiled rich guy. She didn't want anything to do with a guy like.. A part of her conscience nagged her at that thought. She had been no better than him a week ago. Glancing at him, she remembered his cold voice clipping through the air the night before. Well, maybe he wasn't *so* bad. After all, he had helped her, although she hadn't needed his assistance.  
  
"Sakura," she said.  
  
"What?" he glanced at her and then at the cherry blossom trees, "Oh, yeah, they're-"  
  
"No," she cut him off, "That's my name."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Everything was blurred and distorted as the pair of dark eyes slowly blinked open. 'What the hell..' he thought to himself. He tried to move, but to his confusion found that he could not. 'What the hell happened?' His eyes swiftly glanced around but that just resulted in a dizzy sensation. Closing his eyes, he shifted his head and gasped in pain. His last thought before he passed out faded into nothingness, 'What's going on here..?'  
  
~~*~~  
  
Listen closely, because I'll keep screaming until you understand:  
  
I've been here, here, here forever.  
  
What is at the end of these half-tiresome  
  
Days that are chased by time?  
  
~~*~~  
A/N: AHHH, I'm sorry this chapter was delayed. I have sooo many tests and projects right now. I probably won't be able to update until next weekend because I have a huge Geometry project _ gack.. So anyway, last week, I went to ANIME BOSTON, and it was awesome!! I bought lots of kawaii inuyasha stuff and saw new series and music videos. I went with two of my friends and we did karaoke. Correction, UBER Karaoke. It was brilliant, I tell you. One of them actually lost her voice after the 2nd day of this. Haha, she was squeaking and rasping the last day. Tell me if any of you guys went. Oh and I have a new anime obsession. Any of you guys seen Hunter x Hunter?? Brilliant, I've only seen 14 episodes though, getting them off streamload.  
  
Ok, before I make this author note too long, time to beg for reviews, lol.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!! ^________^ 


	8. Past Voices

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: Wow, is this.. can it be.. oh yes it can, an update! It's been a LONG time, but I just couldn't find any time to write anything. Anyone who was reading this probably forgot about it a long time ago, but in any case, I'm going to start writing it again. Probably will post one to two chapters a weeks, or at least that's what I'm hoping for. I'll finish it before I continue Hazel Mist.  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Past Voices  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Konna toki ni umaretsuita yo  
  
Da kedo nan to ka susundet'te  
  
Da kara nan to ka koko ni tatte  
  
Bokura wa kyou o okutte'ru  
  
~~*~~  
  
"What took you so long?" demanded the disgruntled looking girl, eyebrows furrowed. It might have been slightly intimidating if not for the fact that the girl stood at four feet, six inches with her short dirty blond hair put up in loose pigtails.  
  
Rita tipped her sunglasses to the bridge of her nose and rolled her eyes comically at the youth who in turn bit her lip but still couldn't hold down her laughter. The older girl grinned and pulled the elastic out of her hair so that the brown shoulder length curls bounced free.  
  
"You're late," the figure who had been watching the scene stated bluntly.  
  
"I know, I know," Rita waved her hand dismissively in his direction and continued making humorous faces at the child.  
  
"Not, 'I know, I know', I want an explanation." He said, irritated.  
  
"Ne, Kashi-kun," She said, drawing out the 'kun' and straightening up, "Take a chill pill once in a while, all this stressing out can't be good for your health."  
  
"Why you--" he sputtered.  
  
"Oh yes, why I was late.." she said, remembering. "Hey you, why are you looking at me like that? It's a good reason I swear!"  
  
Kashi has one eyebrow raised, looking skeptic.  
  
"I think the boss would be interested in it too."  
  
"Oh, really?" The eyebrow just went higher. Any more, and it would disappear, Rita thought to herself with a twinge of annoyance that he obviously wasn't taking her seriously at all.  
  
"I think I've found us a recruit. One that'll prove valuable to Kuro-Neko."  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Is it just me, or is it really, really hot in here?"  
  
"I wish I could say it was just you, " Sakura said fanning herself with a makeshift fan. "Sonomi said she was going to call the air-conditioning fixing guy, right?"  
  
"Yeah, but it seems like hours ago."  
  
"Years, even."  
  
"It must be 300 degrees in here, at least."  
  
Tomoyo dragged herself up off from the wooden floor where both girls had been sitting before.  
  
"I'm going to go down the street and get us something cool to drink." She picked up a few dollars and waved it at herself. She turned back to Sakura. "What do you want?"  
  
"Lemonade, please hurry." Sakura said lifting an arm up from where she was lying on her back.  
  
Tomoyo rolled her eyes, but nodded and left the shop. "I'll be back in five."  
  
The shop door slammed shut and Sakura got up into a sitting position. It had been three days since she had first been hired to work here. Tomoyo and her mother Sonomi were great people and had been very welcoming of her. They didn't seem to find it very odd that Sakura was already sitting outside wide-awake when they came down to open the shop and if they did, they hadn't mentioned it openly. Sonomi had slipped a small key into Sakura's pocket when she had left yesterday and only smiled at Sakura in response to her questioning look.  
  
A small familiar jingle brought her back to her senses and Sakura quickly jumped up from her sitting position, holding onto the counter to keep her balance. A white shoe was the first thing she saw and then the whole person appeared. He came in with a casual entrance, nicely clad, his hair slightly spiked in the front with black sunglasses that hid his eyes.  
  
Sakura raised an eyebrow as he glanced around and then his gaze fell on her.  
  
"Hello," He said, then after a quick scan of the shop, "Not much business right now, huh? Can't blame them though, it's damn hot in here." He fanned himself a little.  
  
The look Sakura gave him was a reproachful one.  
  
"The air conditioning is broken for the time being." She said slowly.  
  
For a while he just looked at her and she found herself getting uncomfortable.  
  
"What do you want?" Sakura asked, unnerved.  
  
"Just wanted to see the girl everyone's rustled up about." He replied.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Nothing, anyway, I don't believe I've introduced myself. Forgive me, " he bowed slightly. "Yamazaki, Takashi at your service."  
  
Looking taken aback, but slightly amused, Sakura introduced herself. "Kinomoto, Sakura."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Sakura."  
  
It was odd; the way he spoke seemed to contradict his average look.  
  
"What did you mean by what you said before?" she questioned, a little more at ease with him.  
  
"Nothing, just that what you did to Koji Taraka has been getting around. You've sparked the interests of a few important people."  
  
Sakura blushed at the memory; Koji had tried to get her to join a group of some kind. When he persisted, even after she had repeatedly told him NO..  
  
"He definitely asked for that one," Sakura said heatedly, remembering how she had lost her temper with him, and Takashi laughed.  
  
"Knowing him, he probably did. Nonetheless, because of what you did, there will be more who will now want you to join their.. groups."  
  
Sakura blinked at him, "Why are you telling me this?"  
  
"Just thought that you might want to know.. not to suggest that you cannot take care of yourself," he added quickly seeing her eyes narrow, "Previous events have proved otherwise."  
  
He chuckled and Sakura grinned back, finding it infectious.  
  
Another jingle interrupted them, Takashi glanced over and his gaze automatically hardened with an emotion that Sakura could not read.  
  
A girl with curly brown hair done up in a familiar style of two braided- pigtails, which she immediately recognized, entered.  
  
The grin on Sakura's face faded as quickly as it had come on.  
  
"Chiharu."  
  
~~*~~  
  
We've arrived in these times.  
  
But somehow things move on  
  
So somehow we're standing here  
  
And we're living through today.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: Next chapter: Back to that place. I'm trying to get as much of the CCS cast involved in the story as possible, fwoooshh! Getting back on track over here, I'd appreciate a review, please^_^  
  
REVIEW!!!!! Arigatou  
  
~kazle 


	9. Back to that Place

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: Kira, I just take the lyrics to some Japanese songs that fit the chapter and copy and paste the Japanese spelling and the English spelling of the lyrics ^_^ lol, I can't speak Japanese fluently, if that's what you mean. The Japanese I can speak I learned from watching anime. You tend to pick it up after a while ^_^ Chappy number eight.. Back to that Place  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Back to that Place  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Hito wa mina kawaru to iu karedo  
  
Sonna koto nai yo , ne?  
  
Omoide no tsumatta ano basho ni  
  
Mata atsumaritai ne.  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Chiharu." Takashi said, with a rather dull tone. "It's been awhile."  
  
The brown haired girl met his penetrating stare with a glare of her own.  
  
"Yamazaki, what are you doing here?" she said, an edge to her voice.  
  
"Nothing that concerns you. I didn't expect to be seeing you again of all people, especially in this part of the city," Takashi answered coolly. A tense silence followed.  
  
*Jingle jingle*  
  
"Sakura!" Tomoyo's voice held a joking tone, "Haven't died yet, I hope? I brought the lemona- oh we have company?"  
  
Chiharu looked up.  
  
"Sakura?" she glanced around Takashi.  
  
There was a slight pause within the room as the two locked gazes.  
  
Sakura was the one to break it though, as she turned her attention back to Tomoyo. Deciding to ignore the chestnut haired girl who brought back so many memories, she grinned at the confused-looking Tomoyo.  
  
"Barely survived, thanks," she took the cup from Tomoyo who in turned rolled her eyes.  
  
"Made it just in time, then."  
  
"Mm."  
  
"That'll be three dollars and twenty five cents," Tomoyo said with her 'cash-register' voice and Sakura glanced up where Chiharu was now at the cash register with a few cans of soda. She put a few dollars on the counter top and seemed to feel the stare. Sakura looked away and back at Takashi.  
  
He was turned slightly away from her, his eyes hidden by his sunglasses and his expression void of any emotion Sakura could detect. It was completely opposite of the Takashi that had been cheerily talking to her not moments ago. Sakura frowned, wondering what was going on between him and Chiharu. Judging by the words they had exchanged before, they obviously knew each other.  
  
Chewing on her straw, Sakura pondered this for moment, and then gave up, shaking her head.  
  
That brought her back to her own issues, and she fell into her own silence.  
  
"Thank you for your business, please come again," Tomoyo chirped politely.  
  
Chiharu only nodded, took her bag, and quickly left, the door jingling behind her.  
  
Tomoyo looked at Sakura worriedly. She had been oddly quiet and distant for a while.  
  
"Well, Sakura, I must be going now," Takashi said, now beaming at her.  
  
A little taken aback, and caught out of her reverie Sakura nodded once, and grinned back. Tomoyo gave a small sigh of relief, seeing the life spark back into her new friend's eyes. Takashi waved to both of them and whistling, left the shop.  
  
Sakura sighed, and turned back around to Tomoyo, shifting side to side on her feet.  
  
"Um.. About that..," Sakura faltered for a second.  
  
"No, no, no. It's no problem," Tomoyo said reassuringly, smiling, "I'm sure you'll tell me when you're ready to."  
  
Sakura's shoulders relaxed and she offered a small smile.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
~~*~~  
  
Syaoran sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he sat crouched over his Algebra homework. His eyes scanned the problem again, and he sighed again still unable to comprehend it at all.  
  
"Man, you sound really depressed with all that sighing, you know," Eriol remarked.  
  
Syaoran adjusted the phone headset.  
  
"This is impossible."  
  
"You're making it harder than it is, staring at it dumbly like that, " Eriol said dryly.  
  
Syaoran didn't even ask how Eriol would know he was doing that; he just supposed it was because of how well his best friend seemed to know him. Besides, whenever he did decide to ask him, Eriol would just simply ignore the question.  
  
"Agh, this is insane. Why do I have to do this? How am I going to use the distributive property when I get older?" Syaoran mumbled, disgruntled.  
  
"Are you going to make me explain it to you *again*?" Eriol asked.  
  
"No, that's ok.."  
  
Actually, the problem wasn't that he didn't understand it. Lately his mind had been preoccupied with a certain auburn-haired girl that he just couldn't figure out. He didn't understand why he was thinking about it so much, she just seemed to pop up when he didn't want her to. He had other things to think about anyway..  
  
"So did she?" Eriol asked, irritated. Syaoran got the feeling that this wasn't the first time he had been asked this question.  
  
"What- oh.. huh?"  
  
"I had a feeling that you spacing out again. What's been with you these past few days?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking."  
  
"Well, there's some progress. Unfortunately from how you're doing in Algebra, I'm guessing that this doesn't have to do with school." Eriol said.  
  
"I'm just tired, that's all." Syaoran said, making his excuse.  
  
"Ok, so back to what I was saying," Eriol continued, "Has she asked you yet?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Rachel" Eriol said, spelling it out, "Has she asked you to her party yet?"  
  
"Oh, no, she hasn't yet."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure it's only a matter of time, don't sweat it Syaoran."  
  
"Hm. Listen, I have to finish this Algebra or Ms. Fay will kill me tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah, that woman will take any reason to keep us in detention."  
  
"You got that right." Just yesterday, she had kept them after for 'conversing too loudly', when they were talking at the same volume as everyone in the room.  
  
"Alright, see you tomorrow."  
  
~*~  
  
"Hah.. this feels nice," Sakura said as she and Tomoyo sat in front of the just newly fixed air conditioner. The fan screwed up her voice and it came out as a squeaky disoriented stream of words.  
  
They both, after having drank all of their lemonade, found this extremely amusing and continued to experiment with different phrases, breaking out into laughter in the middle of each one.  
  
They presented a particularly amusing scene when Sonomi found them a few minutes later.  
  
"Hey you two, could you start stacking these new shipments on the shelves? I need to make a phone call."  
  
"Yup!" the two chorused together and then completely broke down again.  
  
Sonomi hid a grin and left the two.  
  
Once they had calmed down, they had started stacking up the items. Sakura picked up a case full of assorted chip bags and began placing them on their designated shelf. In the middle of doing so, she noticed the 'E-Ploid' cut- out square on the backs of them.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
"Sakura-chan! Come over and look at this!" an excited voice squealed.  
  
"What is it, Chiharu-chan?" Sakura asked, rushing over to where her friend was crouched over what looked like a small magazine.  
  
"Look, look!" The small seven year old with brown hair up in her traditional pigtails insisted, pointing at a picture.  
  
"Wow!" Sakura exclaimed, seeing the picture of a stereo on the booklet. "But.. Chiharu-chan, why are showing this to me, I don't we could ever get one.."  
  
Chiharu laughed at her friend's disheartened expression.  
  
"No, no, Sakura-chan. See, all we gotta do is collect a bunch of these little squares and send them to these people and then they'll send the stereo back to us!" Chiharu explained.  
  
Sakura's eyes widened.  
  
"Really??"  
  
Chiharu grinned and nodded.  
  
For the next few weeks, the stereo had become their little project. During lunchtime in kindergarten, they would go around asking people to spare their little 'ploid squares'. Finally, at the end of the 3rd week, they finally had enough to send in for their stereo.  
  
"Ah, Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Come here quick, it's finally here!"  
  
Sakura cheered and they both set to opening the package.  
  
Shuffling through the little foam balls, Sakura's small hands finally felt something hard. She gripped onto it and pulled it out.  
  
"I found it!"  
  
"Wow!"  
  
Sakura looked over it.  
  
"Um.. Chiharu-chan, isn't it a little small?"  
  
"Mm."  
  
"Oh well!"  
  
They soon got over the disappointing size of their mini-radio.  
  
"Hey, look, what does this button do?"  
  
Chiharu experimentally twisted it up and the volume of the music exploded.  
  
"Whoa!!"  
  
Sakura clapped her hands over her ears.  
  
"Turn it down!!"  
  
Chiharu twisted the volume button back the opposite way, while trying to keep the sound from killing her ears at the same time with her other hand. They both stared at each other for a second, then erupted into identical giggles.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
~~*~~  
  
They say everyone changes  
  
But that's not always how it is, is it?  
  
I want to meet again in  
  
That place with so many memories.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: Whew.. Done! My computer was being stupid, so it took much longer than I anticipated for my to get this up. Don't know the title to the next chapter; it'll be out by next weekend. Till then!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!! Arigatou~~ 


	10. Harder to Breathe

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: I'm VERY sorry that this chapter took so long to get out. I broke my arm last week and it's a bit tedious to type with only one hand. Good thing that it was my left arm and not my right arm though. And I'm getting surgery for something else on Monday, which is tomorrow, Nov. 3rd, so the next chapter should be up sooner because I get a few days off school.. which will probably result in me failing Chemistry. Sigh. Hope you like the chapter..  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Harder to Breathe  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Ima bokura no zenbou ga aka sarete yuku  
  
Mou minogasanaide  
  
Kono basho kara okutteru kono shigunaru ga  
  
Kitto ima nara kimi ni  
  
Todoku hazu  
  
Soshite ima seijaku wo kirinukete.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A pair of dark eyes opened slowly. They were dulled and emotionless, reflecting exactly how their owner felt.  
  
"What.." he mumbled, his eyebrows creasing in confusion.  
  
He was hit with a sudden wave of pain and brought a hand up to his forehead. It took a few seconds for it to subside, but it still did not do so completely; a throbbing ache was all that remained.  
  
He let his hand drift back to its former position, but stopped halfway through. Bringing it closer to his face, he let his eyes focus onto it. There was a tube attached to his wrist. This only confused him further. Was he in a hospital? And if he was, why would he be there? Had there been an accident of some kind?  
  
The last thing he remembered was..  
  
His eyes widened.  
  
He couldn't remember.  
  
~*~  
  
"See you tomorrow, Sakura!"  
  
Sakura turned and waved back cheerily at Tomoyo before they set off in different directions. She watched as the dark haired girl ran up to catch up with her mother and upon doing so, slowed down, falling into step with her. Looking away, Sakura turned, and started walking the other way.  
  
She didn't get far before someone stepped in front of her.  
  
She sighed. 'Here we go again.'  
  
It was a girl, brown hair tied up into a ponytail with bright eyes that were of the same color. She was wearing black pants and a dark navy blue sweater, tinted sunglasses perched on top of her head.  
  
"Sakura-san, I presume?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I also presume you've also met that idiot, Koji Taraka," she said, rolling her eyes skyward.  
  
"Unfortunately."  
  
"Hm. Though from what I heard happened, more unfortunately for him." She grinned and Sakura grinned back.  
  
"So, will you come with me, just to talk?" Rita said, briskly getting to the point.  
  
"Do I have any choice?"  
  
Rita considered for a moment before answering.  
  
"Of course, but I'd advise you to come. It's not as though you have anything better to do, ne?"  
  
'She does have a point..' Sakura thought to herself dryly.  
  
"Alright then." She nodded.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey Syaoran, wait up!" A familiar voice called.  
  
"Hm?" Syaoran turned around immediately turning bright red when he saw who it was.  
  
"Oh, hi Rachel.." he managed to get out, trying to keep his cool, "What's up?"  
  
The blond beamed widely at him and handed him a pink card. Syaoran, stunned, took it and glanced down at the bright colors.  
  
"What's this?" he asked.  
  
"It's an invitation to my party. It's this Friday, and my parents are going to be out of town. Can you, like, come?" She paused, and looked at him expectantly.  
  
Syaoran looked down at the date. October 31st, Halloween. Was he doing anything that day? He didn't think so.. and who cared anyway?  
  
"Sure, I can come."  
  
"That's totally awesome! Well, I'll see you Friday, Syaoran!" she ran back to her group of girls, who had been giggling the entire time.  
  
Syaoran stood there, awestruck for moment before coming out of his reverie and turning around.  
  
"Oh, hi Rachel.." Eriol mimicked, grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat.  
  
"Shut up, " Syaoran mock glared at him.  
  
His best friend only laughed harder.  
  
~*~  
  
"No thanks.. that's quite alright.. I'll be fine by myself.." Sakura felt like she was becoming a broken record, saying the same things over and over and over..  
  
The girl she was speaking to rubbed her temples.  
  
"So, you are sure?" she asked finally after a few moments.  
  
"Yes," Sakura nodded wearily, but firmly.  
  
"Why doesn't she want to join with us? I don't see any harm in it." Sakura heard someone whisper behind her.  
  
"Probably going to join with some Nenshou-Jizai scum," the returning whisper said disdainfully.  
  
Sakura frowned.  
  
"Listen, I have nothing against you all or against.." she paused.  
  
"Kuro-neko," someone supplied.  
  
"Oh yes. Anyway, I don't intend to join any gang.. for lack of a better term. I'm assuming Nenshou-Jizai is another one." She added, smirking slightly when the two behind realized she had heard them.  
  
"Should we let her go, Meiling-san?" someone asked.  
  
"I don't trust her," the voice who had accused her before said with distaste.  
  
"Kashi-kun, " Rita sang from behind him, "Shut up for a bit, ne?"  
  
Kashi's eyes widened, but before he could retort, Rita stepped up in front of him.  
  
"I think we have a situation here similar to the one with 'Azaki-kun. Sakura wants to be unattached with any group, but to be in good terms with them. That's not being unreasonable, is it?"  
  
Rita grinned at Sakura who smiled back gratefully.  
  
"Well, I suppose that closes the matter," Meiling glared meaningfully at Kashi. "We will treat this situation as like the one with Azaki-kun."  
  
'Who is this 'Azaki-kun'?' Sakura wondered briefly, before Meiling continued.  
  
"Rita, could you guide Sakura back to the main city?"  
  
"No problemo, " Rita winked at Sakura.  
  
When Rita had been leading her before, they took so many turns that after five minutes; Sakura knew that she would have no hope in getting back. It was clear after the first three turns that they were no longer in the main city where she had grown up.  
  
"Rita, who's Azaki-kun?" Sakura asked as they walked.  
  
"Oh, his identity is a secret in a way. He lives a double-life you might say. Just, if you meet him ever, you'll probably know after a while," she grinned.  
  
Sakura tilted her head slightly.  
  
"Nenshou-Jizai.. that's a gang as well, right?"  
  
Rita's eyed darkened slightly.  
  
"Yeah, they are our greatest enemies, you could say.. A lot happened in the past with them, and we're definitely not on good terms with one another."  
  
"Oh."  
  
They moved onto discussing the various members of Kuro-neko for a while. Just by the way Rita talked about them, Sakura could tell that they were like family to the other girl. She felt a small twinge of jealousy, but instantly felt guilty for it. Then, they fell silent for a few minutes.  
  
"Rita.."  
  
"Yep?" she turned her head towards Sakura, but found the emerald eyes averted and somewhat shadowed.  
  
"You don't need to answer if you don't want to, but how did you end up here?"  
  
Rita didn't seem too affected by the question.  
  
"Oh, you know, a lot of stuff happened that wasn't supposed to. I don't quite remember much since it went by so quickly. Must have been.. what, seven years ago. " A small smile graced her lips.  
  
"It's not very clear to me, but I met up with Meiling after a while and everything has worked out since." She smiled, this time a true one.  
  
"I'm glad for you," Sakura said.  
  
"Thanks - oh, here we are." She said suddenly.  
  
Sakura glanced up. The sun was low in the sun, bathing the city she knew in light pastel shades of pink, orange, and red. She instantly felt more at ease.  
  
"Well, I'll be seeing you around, Sakura" Rita said.  
  
"Yep, thanks." Sakura said and watched her friend disappear back into the dark alley they had come out from.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Now our whole story goes on being divulged  
  
Please don't overlook it anymore  
  
The signal that is sent out  
  
From this place should surely  
  
Reach you now.  
  
And pierce the silence now.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: Nenshou-Jizai means 'Burning Will'  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!! 


	11. To Imagine

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: YES! The authoress is glad to tell anyone who actually cares, that she is not failing chemistry as she previously had thought. Anyway, back to the fic. I've figured out the more specific details of the plot I'm working on lately. Thanks to all those who have reviewed, they really get me inspired. ALSO** I changed a few words last chapter, Rachel now says her party is *next* Friday, not *this* Friday, which is important in a way. It gives me some more time to work with. So, right now, it's about a little over a week until Halloween. Alrighty then. Hope you like the chapter..  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
To Imagine  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Kamen no shita no  
  
Sugao wa wasureta  
  
Subete wo tsutsumikomu  
  
Mugen no yami no you ni  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Hey Rita, have you seen Azaki-kun lately?"  
  
The brown haired girl looked up from her mini-chess game after moving a pawn up two spaces.  
  
"No, I haven't, now that I think about it," she said, shrugging and looking back at the board.  
  
"Ahhhh! Since when?!" she cried in surprise.  
  
"Checkmate," the little seven-year-old boy said simply, and flashed a peace sign at the stunned girl.  
  
'That's funny..' Meiling thought, frowning, 'Usually he's hanging around this time of the week..'  
  
"No way Kyusuke! Hey, you must have cheated again!" Rita said, pointing an accusing finger at him.  
  
"Seven times in a row, though?" Chihiro, a girl Kyusuke's age said skeptically, squatting down next to them.  
  
"I won seven times, you owe me that ice cream cone now, Rita-chan," the boy chirped, stretching out the 'chan'.  
  
"Eheh.. how about eight of out fifteen?" she said slowly.  
  
'Oh well, nothing to worry about, I'm sure. Azaki-kun is unpredictable sometimes.' Meiling reassured herself.  
  
"No! Rita-chan, that's what you've been saying ever since the third time I beat you!"  
  
"Please??"  
  
"No! Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream, ice cream!" he would have kept going on and on, if Rita hadn't put up her hands in defeat.  
  
"Mou.. Alright, alright. I'll get your ice cream.." she grumbled.  
  
"WAI!!" the boy cheered.  
  
~*~  
  
"It's a tricky situation that we have here, doctor."  
  
"Let me see the papers."  
  
"Here."  
  
A pause.  
  
"Oh my.."  
  
"Yes, he's in critical condition right now."  
  
"Do you know how it happened?"  
  
"No, he was found in this state."  
  
Fading..  
  
"..don't know how long he'll last.."  
  
"..random seizures during the night.."  
  
Falling..  
  
"..took a severe blow to the head.."  
  
"..poor guy.."  
  
Lost..  
  
He was sleeping when it had happened. Well, perhaps not sleeping. He was in a drowsy, oblivious state, so comfortable and so close to sleeping. A jolt had awakened him from it, and the next thing he knew, he was lurched forward, crashing into the seat in front of him. He had been sitting next to someone before. But that person was no longer there. He briefly wondered where they had gone.  
  
Another lurch, that seemed to steady him more. The next few moments passed in a blur and the next thing he knew, he felt dizzy and detached from the world. And it wasn't long before that dizzy sensation faded into nothingness and he felt the darkness that had been so close before, finally envelope him.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey!" he increased his speed, "Sakura! Wait up!"  
  
The auburn haired girl slowed her pace, and paused to turn around.  
  
"Oh, it's you again." She said.  
  
"Don't sound too cheerful," he teased, falling into step next to her.  
  
"So.. what do you want?" she asked.  
  
"Well, that was blunt. And why the 'you'? Don't tell me you already forget my name." He said, raising his eyebrows.  
  
She pretended to think for a long moment. Syaoran put a fist to his heart.  
  
"Ouch, that hurts. Way to make a guy feel welcome."  
  
"I try."  
  
Syaoran was rather surprised; she finally seemed to be warming up to him. Or maybe she was just in a good mood today. That was probably it.  
  
"And my name?"  
  
"Syaoran Li, how could I forget since you've told me so many times?"  
  
He grimaced at the memories.  
  
They talked for a while, about a lot of things. He found her witty comments and remarks amusing. She scowled at him occasionally, or rolled her eyes skyward at some of the things he said. It was definitely different from talking to the girls at his school.  
  
Without meaning to, he brought up the subject of Halloween.  
  
"And then, this girl Rachel, from my school asked me to her party this Friday. I was completely blown away, I mean she.." he drifted off a little.  
  
Sakura stared straight ahead.  
  
"I mean, it's not like she's my girlfriend or anything," he said quickly.  
  
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"And why would I care whether or not she is?" she asked.  
  
He was taken aback by his comment a little as well, but he didn't show it.  
  
"That's right.." Syaoran said. He had forgot himself for a moment there. Why would she? Since when did he care about what she thought of him anyway?  
  
~*~  
  
Sakura walked into the Ice Cream Shoppe, and breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down at a table. 'That was pretty close..' And it had been. To Sakura's absolute horror, he had brought up the subject of his school, and then asked her about her home schooling. She had kept her answers short and brief. Good thing he hadn't pried. Sakura hated lying to people, even to people who didn't deserve to know the truth. It made her feel a little guilty, but she would never admit it. 'He's still an arrogant bastard,' she reminded herself stubbornly.  
  
"Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream, ice cream!" she heard a young voice chant.  
  
"I know, I know," a familiar voice grumbled, and the first voice was muffled.  
  
Sakura looked up and saw Rita leading a young boy in, one hand on his shoulder and the other hand over his mouth. He didn't look to be older than maybe eight years old. The muffling stopped and Rita removed her hand.  
  
"I was just reminding you, Rita-chan." The boy said matter-of-factly as soon as the hand was taken off.  
  
"How could I forget when you've been.." Rita paused, seeing Sakura.  
  
"Hey!" Rita grinned and Sakura grinned back. It had been three days since she had been introduced to those of Kuro-neko.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Oi," the boy tugged on Rita's sleeve, "You forgetting something?"  
  
"Oh yeah," Rita shuffled through her pocket and took out a few dollars," Her you go, Kyusuke, get what you want. And I want the change, remember."  
  
"Hai!" the boy jumped over to the line of people waiting.  
  
"So, how have you been?" she asked Sakura, sitting down.  
  
"Fine." She motioned over to Kyusuke shuffling impatiently on his feet in line, and grinned. "What bet did you lose?"  
  
Rita mock glared at Sakura, and then giving up, sighed.  
  
"The little weasel kicked my sorry ass in chess seven times in a row."  
  
Sakura laughed.  
  
"I'd figured it might be something like that."  
  
"Hey! It's not funny!"  
  
"Sorry, sorry," Sakura tried to muffle herself, still grinning.  
  
"You're too relaxed, Rita of Kuro-neko." A new voice said, causing both girls to look up.  
  
Rita's surprised expression hardened.  
  
"You must constantly be on your guard. This is why incidents like the one with Hiroshi happen. But by that time it was too late." She let out a bitter laugh, eyes cold.  
  
"You should know better Moeco." Rita's eyes were shadowed. "You should know better than to mention that in front of me."  
  
~*~  
  
"Sir, we've brought him here."  
  
She gestured behind him and two shadowed figures holding a struggling boy came through the door.  
  
"Very good." He turned slightly. "Hello, you were certainly hard to get a hold of, young master. Now," he turned around fully. "As I understand it, you have some valuable information for me."  
  
The eyes of the person being restrained widened in recognition and horror.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Forgotten is the true face  
  
Beneath this mask  
  
Like the endless darkness  
  
That engulfs everything  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: Woohoo! Mm.. lately I've had a lot of inspiration for this ficcy. I now know the main things I want to happen, like more into the details. Lalala.. stay tuned and..  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!! 


	12. Revealed

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: I can type with both hands again, though it's not quite as fast as it used to be. Been reading the 'alternate universe story of CCS' called Tsubasa. I'm not up to date on it yet. I love Syaoran so much! I like how Clamp added lots of characters from their other stories as well. Oh, in the next few chapters, I'm going to be bringing up what might be a touchy subject for people in the next chapters, and I hope no one is offended. Don't get the wrong idea, nothing perverted or gross. And a big Thank-you and Arigatou to everyone who has reviewed! ^_^ Hope you like the eleventh chapter.. Revealed..  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Revealed  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Kono mama futari de itetsuita sora no  
  
Kanata he yukeru to douka shinjiteite  
  
Dareyori mo chikaku dokomade mo tooku  
  
Kimi ga iru yume ha mou kesenai kioku dakara  
  
~~*~~  
  
Moeco smirked as Rita stood up to face her. She had shoulder length reddish brownish hair and startling gray eyes. They reminded her of someone else's eyes, but she couldn't quite remember who it was. Sakura looked back and forth between the two and then at the people around them that had begun to stare.  
  
Making up her mind, Sakura stepped between the two. Moeco looked slightly surprised, as though it was the first time she noticed this girl.  
  
"Look, I don't know what went on between you in the past, but now is definitely not the time to deal with it. Especially here." Sakura said quietly but firmly.  
  
"And just who do you think *you* are?" spat Moeco, turning her attention to Sakura, regaining her composure.  
  
Sakura glared right back at her.  
  
"I don't have to answer you." She said icily.  
  
Moeco's eyes narrowed slightly, as if deducing something in her head.  
  
"You must be that Sakura girl.." she finally said. "I don't recognize you as anything else."  
  
Sakura was slightly reminded of a military commander when this girl spoke.  
  
"Listen," she brought her face closer to Sakura's, "You better learn to keep out of matters that don't concern you. For your own sake."  
  
Like you care, thought Sakura, but she kept her silence and did not move, her green eyes clashing with gray. Sakura suddenly remembered whose eyes they were like; they were the same color as Kyusuke's. Moeco was the first to look away, turning her head as though she was thinking about something. Then she shook her head for a moment and shot a menacing glare at the two before leaving.  
  
"This isn't over."  
  
~*~  
  
Syaoran closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment. Then he shouldered his soccer bag and started up the winding stairs towards his room.  
  
"Syaoran, your Algebra teacher called us today." His father said, without glancing up from where he was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper.  
  
The chestnut haired boy froze for a second, pausing to show that he was listening.  
  
"Apparently you aren't doing too well in that class."  
  
He didn't move.  
  
"Syaoran Li, turn around and face me this instant." His father's voice was sharp and he had looked up from the newspaper.  
  
Syaoran complied, turning his head grimly.  
  
"I'm extremely disappointed in you. You should be doing better than a 'C'. A 'C' is average. Is that what you want to be Syaoran? Average?"  
  
Syaoran clenched his fist around the banister where it was resting. He knew better than to retort. His grip tightened as his father went on berating him.  
  
"You might be satisfied with being average, Syaoran, but I will not tolerate it. From now on, you will have a tutor who will meet with you on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Do you understand me, Syaoran?"  
  
Syaoran's blood boiled at the injustice of it all. Silently, he willed himself to relax. His grip on the banister loosened slightly.  
  
"I understand. Is that all, father?" he said, his voice monotone and dull.  
  
~*~  
  
Sakura combed through her auburn hair, feeling satisfied each time she sorted through the tangles that had gathered. Tomoyo was gone for a few hours, having to go to her weekly art class. A few of her paintings were hung up around the shop, and Sakura enjoyed looking at them. She didn't have much experience judging works of art, but she was sure that Tomoyo could probably earn her scholarship on talent alone.  
  
Since Tomoyo was gone, Sonomi had practically ordered Sakura to take a shower upstairs in their private bathroom, and wouldn't take no for an answer. She set down the comb and started to pull on her socks. Halfway through pulling the left sock on, she paused, seeing the familiar tattoo on the bottom of her heel.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
"Waahh~~ Wow, Chiharu-chan! Your house is huge!" Sakura gushed upon entering it.  
  
Chiharu grinned at the comment good-naturedly.  
  
"Sakura-chan, your house is almost the same size, don't you know?"  
  
"Oh, yeah." Sakura blushed, embarrassed.  
  
"Anyway, I'm so happy that your parents are finally letting you sleep over!"  
  
"Yup! You'd be surprised how long it took me convince them. I even got on my knees and begged!" Sakura nodded, with a wise air.  
  
"Well, it was worth it, ne? Here, let me show you my room!" Chiharu grabbed her friend's hand in excitement and literally dragged the girl up the stairs.  
  
*Later, at night.*  
  
Sakura pulled off her socks after changing into her pajamas and stuffed them into her bag while Chiharu coaxed her small dog into the room.  
  
"Ah! Coco-chan!" Sakura laughed as the dog came bounding in and started to trot around the room.  
  
"Come here, Coco-chan," Chiharu cooed.  
  
The dog seemed to ignore his young master. Chiharu frowned and decided if Coco wasn't going to come to her, she'd go to him. It wasn't long before she eventually ended up chasing the furry terrier around the room. Sakura laughed as she watched her friend's failed attempts at catching her dog.  
  
Chiharu jumped on her bed a second after the dog hopped off. It took a U- turn and launched itself at Sakura who immediately hugged it close to her so he wouldn't get away again. Not that Coco didn't try to; it wasn't until Sakura had him lightly pinned to the floor so that she was lying on her stomach on the floor that he stopped struggling and seemed to settle down. Sakura sighed and looked at Chiharu, but her friend's attention was diverted to something else.  
  
"Ne, Sakura-chan, what's that mark on your foot?" Chiharu asked.  
  
Sakura frowned for a second, and then realized what she was talking about.  
  
"Oh, this?" She lifted her heel and pointed to the mark on her heel. It was star-shaped with the letter "E" printed in the middle of it. "I don't know, doesn't everyone have one?" she asked. That was what her father had told her.  
  
Chiharu shook her head slowly for a second, and then crouched down to check her own feet. Seeing nothing, she lifted her head and shook it again. Sakura was a little confused and looked down at her heel.  
  
"I bet it means that you're special Sakura!" Chiharu said, clapping her hands together. "Yep, yep, I'm sure it does. That's so cool!" She grinned, hugging her pillow close and Sakura grinned back.  
  
"Oh look, Coco's whining. I think he wants to go outside to do his business." She made a face at Sakura. "Come on, I'll take him out and then we can have a snack downstairs in the kitchen.  
  
But as Chiharu led her dog outside to their yard for a few minutes, Sakura slipped her socks back on before padding after her.  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
Sakura sighed and tied up her shoelaces and picked up the blow dryer. After that, she ran the comb through her hair again and packed up her bag and headed back downstairs.  
  
Sonomi smiled at her and asked her if she could take over the cash register while she went to pick a few things up from a store.  
  
"Tomoyo should be back in a bit, as well," she said.  
  
Sakura nodded and she left.  
  
Ten minutes later and the store was empty again. Sakura twirled a strand of her hair idly with a finger. The bell rang and then out of all the people that could have entered, in came Chiharu again. She went off into an isle on the right without a glance in Sakura's direction. Sakura sighed but was distracted when Rita came bursting through the door right after Chiharu.  
  
"Sakura!" she said, looking relieved as she was trying to catch her breath.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sakura frowned.  
  
"It's Takashi!" Sakura briefly noticed that Chiharu's shuffling into the back isle stopped. "You know, Yamazaki? Something's happened. I can't really explain it here," she said glancing around. "Can you come with me somewhere for a little while?"  
  
"No, I can't," Sakura said, "There's no one to take over for me. Can't you tell me here?"  
  
Rita hesitated for second, then sighed. "I suppose there's no helping it then. Alright, but before I tell, there's something you should know about Takashi Yamazaki."  
  
~~*~~  
  
Like this, together we journey to  
  
The distant frozen sky, somehow believing;  
  
Because, closer than anyone, further than anywhere,  
  
Your dreams won't disappear from memory  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: Lalala.. next chapter should be up in a week. ^_^  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!! 


	13. Discover

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: So sorry for the late update!! Turkey day has been really hectic, cleaning and everything. In addition to being an avid CCS/anime fan, I love the LotR trilogy, and I just received the Two Towers extended dvd version for a late B-day present. Been writing up two different CCS stories in addition to this one. One chapter of one of them, Hazel Mist was posted a long time ago. That took me a while to get it down the way I wanted it. Trying to squeeze in a lot of things for Her Story as well. I should really be getting some background information in.. sigh. Sorry for the delay and hope you like the chapter.. Discover.  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
Discover  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Mou hitori kiri ni shite oite hoshii no  
  
Dare mo watashi o shiranu basho e nigetai no  
  
Sonna koto machigatte iru to semerareyou to kore ijou  
  
Kokoro ga mou motanai ashita wa iranai no  
  
~~*~~  
  
White sheets stirred as sunlight slowly crept into the room, seeping over everything in its path and bathing objects in warmth with its soft touch. Dark eyes opened at the new feeling and just stared straight ahead. A soft click was heard as someone bustled into the room. The eyes flicked over slightly but a grey block that could have been a table of some sort obscured their line of vision. Without the strength to move to see who it was, the person waited.  
  
"Oh! You're finally awake!" Said a surprised voice, obviously female by its high pitch.  
  
She was dressed in a doctor's scrubs with long reddish brown hair and astonishing eyes of similar, but sharper color.  
  
"We were beginning to lose hope of you every waking up, but never mind all that. You're probably starving right now!" She grinned and started scribbling things down on her clipboard. "The name's Nakuru, by the way. Akizuki Nakuru."  
  
Eyebrows furrowed, his eyes flicked from her and back to staring at nothing again. A pause, and then a voice, rough from long disuse spoke.  
  
"Where is this?"  
  
"Oop, I forgot, " Nakuru said distractedly and shuffled around a bit before coming back with a glass of water. "You're throat must be extremely dry. After all, you've been in a coma for about two weeks."  
  
Wha - a coma?? Two weeks??  
  
~*~  
  
"Takashi Yamazaki. Yamazaki, being his mother's maiden name. That's the one you know him by. He also has a street name that you've heard, Azaki-kun." Rita explained.  
  
Sakura blinked. Takashi was this Azaki-kun she'd been hearing about?  
  
"And that's not all," Rita went on. "He officially has his father's name, which is Reshian. So, his real name that most people in Metropolis know him by is Takashi Reshian." She paused and looked at Sakura for some kind of reaction but the auburn haired girl only looked confused.  
  
"What do you mean, the name that most people in this city know him by?" Sakura asked, puzzled.  
  
Rita sighed and rolled her eyes.  
  
"You really don't know too much about this place, girl. It's surprising that you grew up here too. That's the one name you *should* know out of all of them."  
  
Sakura grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Takashi Reshian. Reshian. You don't recognize that name? He's the mayor of Metropolis, Sakura!"  
  
"What? So Takashi's the mayor's son?"  
  
"Yeah. He has a sister our age as well. Stepsister actually. I think her name is Reina or something like that.. I know it starts with an 'R'.." she paused, thinking.  
  
"So, what about Takashi, besides him being the Mayor's son?" Sakura asked, wondering where this was going.  
  
"Well you see.." Rita looked like she was unsure of where to begin. "He's been missing for a few days, and we hadn't been too concerned at first. He just returned, " Her voice lowered, "..And it's pretty bad.. He's been acting all weird," she frowned, "Completely unlike Azaki. And he's been asking for you too. Says that it's urgent." Rita looked at Sakura to see that the girl looked mildly surprised.  
  
"Which is why you need to come with me," the street girl concluded.  
  
Sakura's head was spinning.  
  
"Wait.. Why does he want to talk to me of all people?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know, we'll find out soon, let's go!" Rita took Sakura's hand and proceeded to practically drag the stunned girl out of there.  
  
"Wait."  
  
Sakura froze for a second, and then composed herself as she and Rita glanced back behind them nonchalantly. Chiharu was standing there, looking somewhat timid for a moment, then looked up, with a determined expression.  
  
"What?" Sakura couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice.  
  
To her surprise, Chiharu winced slightly before speaking again.  
  
"I'm coming with you."  
  
Sakura's perplexed look turned into a scowl.  
  
"No you aren't."  
  
Chiharu glared at her former best friend.  
  
"Yes I am. There's nothing you can say to stop me. Yamazaki was my friend and I want to see him."  
  
Sakura gave a hollow laugh without humor and her expression darkened.  
  
"Friend? I thought we had established just what friendship means to you, Chiharu."  
  
They would have kept at it if Rita hadn't waved her hands in front of them, with a dangerous scowl on her face that immediately quieted the two.  
  
"If you two don't mind shutting up for a few seconds, Yamazaki's waiting." She said, annoyance clear in her voice.  
  
Sakura and Chiharu fell silent but didn't stop glaring at each other.  
  
"Um.. Is there a problem here?" A melodious voice asked, sounding confused.  
  
"Ah, Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura said, spinning around.  
  
Sakura vaguely noticed Chiharu frowned as she looked at a very puzzled Tomoyo. And the person next to Tomoyo that Sakura had just noticed. It was that annoying azure haired boy that had bothered them a week ago.  
  
Sakura wondered what he was doing with Tomoyo before she became aware of her long haired friend's irritated look as she glanced at him.  
  
"Sakura!" Rita reminded her, "We have to go now." She tugged on the girl's arm a little more insistently.  
  
"You're going somewhere?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
"Um.." Sakura didn't know what to say.  
  
"Ok, I'm back now, so I'll take up the cash register for a while." Tomoyo said with a grin.  
  
"Thanks Tomoyo," Sakura said gratefully.  
  
She and Rita hurried down the street with Chiharu trailing along behind them. Sakura didn't have time to argue with the stubborn girl any longer, there were more pressing matters at hand.  
  
~*~  
  
A dark and shadowed room. A constant hum penetrates the would be silence making it hard for one not accustomed to it, to think. Always processing. Always running. Remembering how it used to give throbbing headaches, but not any more.  
  
A slight movement, shifting the simple white gown that was worn. Small hands felt the end of a long sleeve, fingers running back and forth on the coarse material. To pass the time.  
  
The silence stretches on. It is a bitter thing to be left alone within it for such a long time. Such a long time. Alone with only your thoughts for company.  
  
The door clicks open and lead colored eyes glance up.  
  
"Come."  
  
Finally it is time.  
  
Freedom at last.  
  
Is this relief?  
  
~~*~~  
  
I want to be left alone.  
  
I want to escape to a place where no one knows me.  
  
That I'm wrong about that, that it's my fault,  
  
Is all my heart has. I don't need tomorrow.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: A little shorter than usual, but the next one will be longer. And will definitely be up by next weekend if not earlier. Also, mucho arigatou to all those who have reviewed! ::glomp:: ^_^ And,  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!! 


	14. Unwilling

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: "They say there is a thin line between love and hate. She has yet to reveal her true feelings to me. Hihihihihihi!" - Naruto (I LOVE Naruto so much! I just had to put that in here.) On a more relevant note.. I'm SO incredibly sorry that this chapter is just as late as the other one. Agh! Gomen gomen gomen! My life has become very hectic and though I had the chapter almost finished, I couldn't find the time to completely finish it and post it. Many apologies for the delay!! Sorry and hope you like the chapter.. Unwilling..  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
Unwilling  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Jikan nante mono wa totemo toki toshite zankoku de  
  
Demo sono zankokusa yue ni ima ga tsukurarete  
  
Hito o motome yamanai no wa isshun no kaihou ga  
  
Yagate otozureru kyoufu ni katte iru kara  
  
~~*~~  
  
"Quickly!" Rita urged the two following her quietly. She had been leading them through dark alleys and down narrow streets. Sakura had been shocked at first at the unfamiliar territory and had to admit that unless she had been led onto them, she never would have been aware of their existence.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
"You really don't know too much about this place, girl. It's surprising that you grew up here. "  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
Her thoughts wandered back to what Rita had said earlier and Sakura grinned ruefully. As they slunk through the shadows, she wondered vaguely why Chiharu wasn't going out onto the main streets.  
  
Sakura didn't know how long they had been walking in the hidden alleyways, her mind caught up with her thoughts, when she suddenly almost crashed in Rita who had stopped abruptly. Rubbing her head, she frowned.  
  
"We're here."  
  
~*~  
  
Tomoyo's mouth dropped open in shock as soon as she looked at the person on her right.  
  
"Y-You!" she sputtered.  
  
The person in question glanced over to her, immediately recognizing her and smirked slightly.  
  
"Yes, me." He said.  
  
The instructor then choose that exact moment to begin the class.  
  
"What are *you* doing here?" Tomoyo hissed at the azure-haired boy when the teacher's back was turned.  
  
"Why else would I be here for? I am an artizt." He said, drawing up an accent.  
  
Tomoyo was not amused.  
  
"Even so, " she countered, glaring at him, "I thought small inexpensive gatherings such as these were too low for someone of your supreme status."  
  
He was about to respond when the instructor clapped her hands together, signaling them to begin.  
  
Tomoyo took up her drawing pad and began to sketch with a pencil. On the outside, she seemed calm and concentrated, but inside she was practically seething. Why did this guy always insist on annoying her - was what his name? Oh yes, *Eriol*. For the past few days he just was constantly turning up in most random places, putting in a smug comment here and there.  
  
The dark haired girl shook her head, willing herself to focus on her work. Every so often she would see him looking at her out of the corner of her eye. Each time she would fix him with her worst death - glare, but all he would do would be to give her his famous Chesire-cat grin, which was really starting piss her off.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
"Well, at least we know that looks are definitely not everything.." Sakura had said.  
  
Tomoyo looked thoughtful for a moment.  
  
"Maybe.."  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
'Well, screw that,' Tomoyo thought heatedly, 'He's nothing more than a arrogant, conceited pretty boy!'  
  
~*~  
  
Sakura examined Takashi. He looked absolutely horrible. His face was pale, and there were heavy bags under his eyes as though he hadn't slept in days.  
  
After they had arrived, Sakura had gone to see him privately, leaving a disgruntled Chiharu and an exhausted Rita behind.  
  
"Kinomoto!" he exclaimed, looking very relieved as she entered. "Thank goodness, you're safe." He said.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" Sakura asked, confused.  
  
Taskashi looked troubled.  
  
"You had better sit down for this," he finally said, gesturing to a dusty chair.  
  
Sakura raised her eyebrows in question but walked over and slowly sat down on the offered seat.  
  
"As you heard, I have been missing for a few days, as I think I recall Meiling saying." He began.  
  
"Wait.. What do you mean by that?" Sakura immediately interrupted.  
  
Takashi sighed.  
  
"Truth to be told, I don't remember much of what happened to me. But let me finish, before you ask any questions, alright?"  
  
Sakura grinned sheepishly and nodded.  
  
"First of all, you must know who I really am.."  
  
"Yes, I know. Rita told me. Takashi Reshian. I never would have guessed." Sakura said, smiling slightly, "Ok, I won't interrupt anymore, go on."  
  
"Alright. As I was saying.. The day that I was captured, I had been walking home. They came out of the shadows and I felt something, cloth I think, being forced into my mouth." He grimaced. "I went out like a light I think because the next thing I know I'm being led down a dark corridor."  
  
"Do you remember what your kidnappers looked like?" Sakura asked, forgetting that she was not supposed to interrupt.  
  
"No, not really. I have a vague outline of them, but I didn't really get a good look at them. I wasn't entirely there, if you know what I mean."  
  
'Drugged, most likely,' thought Sakura.  
  
"What's more important is the conversation I had with the person who seemed to be the boss."  
  
"Hm?" Sakura hummed, glancing up.  
  
"The reason I was relieved to see you safe and sound was due to the fact that I thought you had been captured as well."  
  
~*~  
  
"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" She cursed, shaking her head with effort.  
  
"Is something wrong, Moeco-san?" A girl with dirty blond hair asked, looking up from her clipboard.  
  
Moeco's head was clutched between her palms and the teenager looked like she was sweating, as she took deep breaths.  
  
"No, no. I'm fine, Emi," she said, sighing and smiling slightly. "I think I'll go for a walk."  
  
The girl nodded, and went back to scribbling on her clipboard.  
  
Once a few blocks away, Moeco leaned back against a building and closed her eyes, troubled.  
  
'What's going on?'  
  
~~*~~  
  
Time is sometimes a cruel thing,  
  
But the present is made by that cruelty.  
  
Unceasingly searching for someone, an instant of release  
  
Soon triumphs over the visiting fear.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: I'm off to see the Return of the King LotR movie now, at 4:00 pm wheeeeee! I can't hardly keep still. It's a 3 hour and 20 minute movie though.. whoa.. On the chapter: Shorter than usual, I know. I'm sooo sorry for the late update! Next chapter is almost done and will be up in less than a week! And..  
  
Please Review! 


	15. Away

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters, except the ones I make up. Don't own CCS, only own the plotlines and stuff.. yeah.  
  
Summary: Sakura has just lost everything that meant anything to her, and is forced to resort to a life on the dangerous city streets of Metropolis. Syaoran's entrance as a rich and spoiled one, gangs, and other conflicts await her..  
  
A/N: I accidentally deleted this and then didn't have time to rewrite it over vacation. I was at my cousin's house in New York and didn't have access to a computer to attempt to finish it. I'm so lousy with updating on time.. But at least I'm at the point in the story where I get to start writing about the things that I've been thinking about ^_^ Just starting reading Alice 19th manga, and also just started The Da Vinci Code, which was recommended to me by several people. On with the chapter.. Away..  
  
Her Story  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
Away  
  
By: Kazle  
  
~~*~~  
  
Kokoro kara waraete mitasareru toki ni wa  
  
Jibun no shiawase ni kidzuku koto dekite'nakatta yo  
  
Mou modoru koto wa dekinai ano natsu natsukashiku natte mo  
  
Hosokute demo tsuyoi sono te hanashita no wasashi da kara  
  
~~*~~  
  
Syaoran was having something very close to a nervous breakdown. It was Wednesday and he still had no idea what to get Rachel for her birthday. Eriol watched his best friend, looking extremely amused.  
  
"What do you think she wants? Candy? Jewelry? No, no, no, that's all wrong.."  
  
As Syaoran listed several different things, and turning them down directly after asking Eriol, the azure haired teenager checked his watch. He frowned a little, and then his expression became unreadable.  
  
Syaoran plopped down on the bed, defeated, "I have absolutely no idea what to get her, I'm not cut out for this kind of stuff."  
  
He glanced over at his friend, who was sporting his famous cat-like grin and sighed.  
  
"And you're not helping either."  
  
The Chesire-cat grin did not fade or waver as Eriol replied,  
  
"I definitely think that you're stressing over this a little too much. Just go with your instincts, man."  
  
With that, Eriol made to leave, before stopping at the door.  
  
"Oh yeah, I just remembered." He said, turning around, "Don't you have those tutor sessions three times a week?"  
  
Syaoran scowled with a look of distaste and nodded. "Yeah, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.. Oh, damn, Friday's the party!" he said with realization. "I guess I'll be late then.."  
  
~*~  
  
Sakura looked nervous.  
  
"What do you mean you thought that I had been captured?" she asked, more confused than ever.  
  
Takashi stopped pacing for a second, wearied looking.  
  
"Well.. from what I can remember, the reason I was captured in the first place is because my capturers wanted to get information about you."  
  
"About me?" Sakura frowned, "But.. why?"  
  
Takashi sat down across from the auburn haired girl.  
  
"I don't know. Or don't remember." He sighed.  
  
"But.. from what I gathered they seemed very.. anxious to know anything about you. I don't think I told them anything important." He looked Sakura straight in the eye. "I think that they were only trying to verify that you.. existed."  
  
"Existed?" Puzzlement was clear in the street girl's eyes.  
  
"Yes. It's a little hard to explain it exactly."  
  
Sakura looked down for a moment, biting her lip in concentration and then stood up as if to walk out. She paused and turned around.  
  
"So let me get this straight.. Some weird guy is looking for me and we don't know anything about him or what information you may have told him. He has people working for him and.. he seems to know quite a bit about you, Takashi."  
  
The dark haired boy nodded and looked to the side.  
  
"Yes, and that is something that has been troubling me deeply." He looked up at her. "There are few who know about my 'double life' for lack of a better word." He said making air quotations.  
  
"Well.. someone may have told him." Sakura suggested.  
  
"Yes, but I doubt.." he sighed. "Never mind. What we should be focusing on is your safety."  
  
"Hm?" Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly.  
  
"Hold up a second and listen to me before you get the wrong idea," Takashi said hurriedly. "I only meant that you should stay low and keep your name to yourself. Kinomoto is not a name you should go around spreading."  
  
"But I've already told.." Sakura trailed off slightly.  
  
"Then you must make absolute sure that those you told will not leak the name."  
  
~*~  
  
"Now tell me.." A deep voice said slowly, "How is it that this information escaped from your sources up till now? I hired your network for its reputation. How did you overlook this? Enlighten me, if you will."  
  
"Well.. the possibility was there, sir, and it was an unwise decision to ignore it. Like you are well aware of, Kinomoto was adamantly against it."  
  
"You are right.." The previous voice murmured.  
  
The one under question had a inscrutable expression on his face that was not easily identified, but inside he breathed a sigh of relief. Face still unreadable, he waited for his superior to speak.  
  
"A stubborn fool, but it seems as though he had a shred of intelligence left in him at least. I wonder what finally drove him in the end."  
  
He fell silent for a moment.  
  
"Find her, but remain unseen and watch her for a while. I want to know everything about her.  
  
Nodding, the second person left swiftly and the door clicked behind him. The room was soundless.  
  
'You've eluded us for a while. But there's no where for you to hide anymore.'  
  
~*~  
  
"I'm home," Takashi called, closing the door behind him and handing his coat to the butler.  
  
"Where were you, young man? You're late!" A blond woman came bustling out of the living room to the right. "We were getting worried that you wouldn't be here to make the dinner at all."  
  
'Dinner?' thought Takashi, 'Oh yeah, another dinner with the head of the technology department and his family. So dad can discuss business and whatnot.'  
  
"Well, I'm here now, when are we leaving?" Takashi grinned at his mother, and she just rolled her eyes at him, thinking her son was hopeless when it came to being on time, but there was still slight amusement in her eyes. Actually, she was Takashi's stepmother, to be more specific, having married his dad a few years after his own mother has passed away, bringing in his stepsister with her.  
  
"No way are you going in that, mister." She said firmly, "Go upstairs and get changed into something more suitable."  
  
He nodded and headed up the stairs, passing his sister on the way up.  
  
"What, he's here?" She said, "There's a first, he's, like, always late."  
  
"Rachel, your father's already in the car. Go, and I'll wait for your brother."  
  
The teenager sighed dramatically.  
  
"Just so you know, these dinners are like drastically cutting into my social life." Rachel informed her mom, reaching the bottom of the stairs. "You bought food, right? For my party on Friday?"  
  
"Yes, yes." Her mother sighed.  
  
'Teenagers these days are so demanding..'  
  
~~*~~  
  
When I was filled with laughter from the heart  
  
I didn't even notice my own happiness.  
  
I can't go back, no matter how much I miss that summer.  
  
That slender yet strong hand. Because I pulled away.  
  
~~*~~  
  
A/N: Happy (late) New Years to everyone!! (  
  
And Please Review!!!! ^_^ 


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